The Silverstone-based squad proved to be F1’s surprise package at the start of the 2023 campaign as it challenged Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez for podiums over the first portion of the year with its revamped AMR23.

After finishing seventh in the constructors’ standings in 2022, Aston Martin emerged out of the closed season with the second-quickest car that propelled Fernando Alonso to six podiums in the first eight races, initially with four third-place finishes before claiming the runner-up positions in Monaco and Canada.

With the AMR24 due to be unveiled at Silverstone on February 12, all eyes will then be on pre-season testing in Bahrain just over a week later, followed by the first race in the same country on March 2, to see if Aston Martin has again pulled a rabbit from the hat.

Asked by this writer in an interview for The New York Times whether it was possible to make a similar leap as was the case a year ago, Fallows replied: “It’s absolutely possible.

“We’ve seen with what we did at the beginning of the season that there are still opportunities to make a big step forward.

“But it’s a relative game. It depends on what other people are doing.

“For us, the most important thing is that we’re making that big step forward. We have our internal targets. We have things that we want to achieve, and as long as we achieve that, then we’ll be happy.

“Where that sits us on the grid will play out according to what our competitors do.”

Although there were additional podiums for Alonso in the Dutch and São Paulo Grands Prix, Aston did lose its way for a period during last season as upgrades, designed with an eye towards this year’s car, failed to have the desired effect.

Although the team finished fifth in the standings, team principal Mike Krack has acknowledged Aston is now “fighting in a completely different league of teams” compared to previously, increasing the spotlight on even the slightest developmental wrong-turn.

Outlining what is required to maintain its position in that league, Krack said: “These days everybody has the same cars and is very strong in operations, so the differentiator is the performance.

“You have to focus on the areas that make the performance, and this is where no team is stopping.

“You have to keep developing these departments, make them better, stronger, and more efficient.”